Summer in France
by gracehazel
Summary: Baz and Simon are all grown up and they have kids. Join our favorite boys in a little story about a holiday in France with their family. If we're lucky Penny'll be there too.
1. Chapter 1

SIMON

"Is that my jumper, Snow" my husband asks me, looking up from his morning newspaper. His legs are crossed and he's already dressed for the day; black trousers and a matching jacket, looking posh as ever. The wanker. I'm in just my pants and Baz's jumper and so I automatically feel inferior. Charlotte and Jack are already down for breakfast as well. Our daughter is reading from a battered copy of Jane Eyre and Jack is on his phone, probably checking his stocks. Malcom bought him some shares last Christmas and he's been nothing but diligent ever since.

"Yeah, it got in my drawer somehow" I respond while pouring myself a cup of tea, "I reckon it fits me better anyway," I wink at him and I see the corners of his mouth quirk, "also you called me Simon before" he grins widely, showing off his perfect teeth.

"I might of" he allows.

"As much as we love you, I really don't fancy being sick into my cereal" Jack comments, rolling his eyes" I ruffle Baz's hair, only because I know he hates it before sitting down next to our son. It's the beginning of summer and Jack and Charlotte just got back from Watford, Jack just finished his sixth year and Charlie her fifth.

"Daddy, are we going to France this week or next week?" Charlotte asks Baz. We are staying at Daphne's family home in the south of France for a month as we do most summers.

"We leave the day after tomorrow Charlie, I've told you no less than four times" he responds,

"Oh, forgot" Charlotte smiles, our daughter takes after me; she's biologically my child, with her tawny hair and multitude of moles. Jack is Baz's, and he got everything from the black hair to the sneer.

"Charlie, at this rate you'll never pass Elocution" Jack smirks. He also got Baz's intelligence, not that Charlie's not smart, it just doesn't come as naturally for her.

"Shove off, I got good marks this term" she frowns into her porridge.

"Yes, you did, love, we're so proud of you" I reassure her.

"Thanks dad" she smiles at me and I melt. Baz and I both have absolutely no idea how to say no to our daughter, and she's fully aware.

The door to our flat opens suddenly and in strides Fiona in a t-shirt that advertises the quality of Joe Strummer's dick and a pair of tight black jeans.

"I need an Advil and a cuppa" she remarks, sitting down next to Charlotte without looking at anything but the kettle. I rise and pour her a cup.

"Simon, put on some bloody trousers, you look like a bum" she glares at me, "hello children" she smiles at them genuinely. Fiona adores our kids, always has, in fact, Baz's entire family loves them, and dotes on them ridiculously.

"Fiona, might I remind you that you do not live here, nor do you have a key" Baz remarks.

"Crowley Baz, a simple **_open sesame_** does the trick every time, you might want to spell the door to ward out unwanted guests" she gulps her tea down in a few swallows and flips her grey tinted hair out of her eyes.

"Fiona, are you hungover?" Charlotte asks with a grin on her face.

"Jesus, she's as thick as you Simon" she says and when Charlotte flicks her off Fiona laughs, "I take is back, she has gotten something from Baz after all"

"I assume you came here for a reason, other than annoying us of course" Baz says.

"Yes, I did, I came to bring Charlie and Jack to France early, so pack your bags kiddies, Aunt Fiona's come to rescue you from the epic grope fest that is your parents" My cheeks flush a deep red. Even after all these years I can't seem to be comfortable talking about sex with Baz in front of our children, which I find very normal thank you. Baz just looks smug, the wanker.

"As much as I'll enjoy a day and a half of uninterrupted time with Simon, might I ask the reasoning behind your generosity?" Baz asks, he's put down his newspaper finally.

"I don't know, I've been trying out being a decent person, it's surprisingly therapeutic" she shrugs, but I can tell she means it. Baz's been busy all year, he been doing loads of guest lectures at Watford in addition to him running the Coven. He actually just got back from Romania; there was a particularly large rogue vampire group wreaking havoc and it was really hard on him. The kids get up and go to their rooms to pack and Baz gets up too, striding towards our room.

"Thanks, Fi" I tell her when our door closes and then I follow him.

In our room Baz is sitting on our bed, his face in his hands. I sit down beside him and place my hand on his back.

"It's alright, love, you did what you had to do" he looks up at me with stormy eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I know, it's just, some of them really didn't know what they were doing, most of them were Normals before they were turned, they got caught up with vampires that told them that they weren't doing anything wrong and we had to burn them all. Simon, they just went up in flames, screaming… I felt like such a fucking hypocrite" he places his head in my neck and I wrap my arms around him.

"s'alright Baz, I love you" I whisper stroking his hair. He looks up and grins at me.

"I know" he kisses me on the mouth, just a peck, but my whole body electrifies, "I love you too" he gets up to take off his jacket.

"Now?" I ask him my eyebrows raising, my heart is pounding ridiculously hard in my chest and I know he can hear it.

"Yes, now you idiot, Fiona's distracting the children, and I need you to distract me, now take off your pants" he orders and my hands fly to my underwear and they're off in the same movement. He kneels down in front of me and my hands go to his hair. I'm already hard when he takes me into his mouth and I groan loudly.

"Fucking hell, Baz" I say through my teeth. My tail has wrapped itself around his body and my wings are jostling under my jumper, well his jumper. I pull it off and they spring free.

He pauses for a second, probably to make some witty remark but I tug on his hair and he resumes, chuckling, which as his mouth is full, I very much enjoy.

JACK

In my room, I open my wardrobe and start to pack my very large case with everything I think I will need for the next month, which is very little considering we spend most of our time there relaxing. I'm almost through when Charlie bursts through my door, looking indignant.

"What is it Charlie, misplaced your One Direction t-shirt?" I smirk.

"Bugger off, I'm already through with packing, I just can't believe we have to go two whole days early, I was supposed to go to coffee with Melinda tonight" she complains before dropping down on my bed, "We were going to go shopping too" My sister is an imbecile, I love her of course, but she cares about the most mundane shit.

"Aunt Mordy will take you and Kathryn shopping as soon as we get there, France has better shops anyways" I remark.

"I know, that's not really what I'm so worried about; Daddy's been awfully down lately and I know he's having trouble because of the vampires and I just worry about him when we aren't with him" she sighs. She's right of course, but I know this extra time alone for my parents will cheer him up. Charlie thinks the world revolves around her and that she can fix everything up just by smiling.

"Dad will fix him up, you know this; they're probably "sorting it out" right now" I wink at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, you're right, Fiona's probably waiting, we should go down there" she says as she strides out of my room.

BAZ

Just as I'm finishing Simon off, his phone rings, and I can tell it's Bunce by the ringtone. I wipe my mouth and grin at him.

"Best answer that love, or you know she won't stop calling" I remark as I put my jacket back on; he's lied back on our bed with a dazed look on his face. Even after all these years, I marvel at how easy it is for me to make him look like that. It makes me love him even more. I throw his phone at him and wink before I stalk out in to the living room. Fiona's on her second cup of tea and rolls her eyes at me.

"Sorry, didn't have time for a silencing spell" I smirk at her cheekily and she groans in response.

"I swear, that husband of yours doesn't know the meaning of the word quiet" she comments as Charlotte and Jack make their way down the stairs with their cases. I can tell they've caught the end of our conversation by the disgusted look on Jack's face.

"Daddy, you've got a bit of something on your lip" he sneers and I immediately flip him off, but wipe my mouth again. Charlotte looks thoroughly amused when Simon walks out, hanging up the phone.

"What'd Bunce need?" I ask him.

"She just wanted to tell me that her and Micah and the kids are arriving the day after us" he says grinning. He's missed Bunce, as she and Micah moved to America when their second, Gabriel, was born. We seem them every few months, and she calls almost every day but it'll be nice to spend a couple weeks with them, as Daphne's house is large enough to accommodate both our families as well as Mordelia's along with my parents without being crowded.

"Aunt Penny's coming, brilliant" Charlie says, before whipping out her wand and pointing it at her and Jack's luggage, "**_light as a feather_**" she casts and the trunks rise into the air and follow Fiona out to the car, "Bye Daddy, Dad, see you in a couple days" she calls, and Jack follows, blowing us a cheeky kiss before closing the door.

"Have fun" are his parting words.

"Now that they're gone…" Simon quirks an eyebrow at me. I see he's recovered from earlier if the bulge showing in his pants is anything to go by. I rip off my jacket and all but attack him with my mouth before he can finish his sentence.

We don't even make it to our room; I've got him completely naked in front of me in our living room and I'm still in my trousers and shirt. He looks at me disapprovingly.

"Baz, I'm going to need you to take off your clothes" he breathes, he's still gets all blushy and nervous sometimes when we have sex and I love it. I quickly unbutton my top and let it slide off my shoulders. He walks towards me slowly to trace his fingers up and down my chest and across my shoulders. My breath catches when he leans his head up to kiss me and I oblige, meeting him there. He brings his arms around my neck and I pick him up and lean us against our front door. He wraps his legs around my waist and I groan when his mouth leaves mine to kiss my neck.

"Aleister Crowley, I love you" I tell him and he redoubles his effort, probably trying to leave a mark, the prat. I let him down so I can take off my trousers and pants and he's on my the second I step out of them.

"Baz, I need you" he says to the skin covering my collarbone and I groan again in agreement.

"In the bedroom, love, we've got all day" I smirk at him and grab his hand to lead him to our room.

CHARLOTTE

I reckon Fiona's going to kill us. She's driving like mad, casting **_Make way for the queen _**every 300 metres and swerving in and out of traffic. Jack doesn't seem to mind, though he's sitting in the back seat on his bloody phone again. I swear, If I didn't know better I would think he has a girlfriend.

"Fi, you need to slow down" I plead with her, "I'm going to be sick if you keep this up"

"Charlie, if you want to get to France anytime today, you really need to shut it" she responds and continues her furious spell casting.

"Yeah, our flight's supposed to leave at half past, just leave her be" Jack comments. I check the clock and it's noon already so I guess they're right, I just don't really enjoy the constant movement. I get out my own phone to text Stevie, Penny and Micah's younger daughter, who's my age. I haven't seen her in ages as she goes to school in America. She's a brilliant magician, way more powerful than her brothers, and I think she must take after her mum.

"Alright lovies, we're here, and not a moment to spare, let's get a move on then" Fiona says as we pull in to Heathrow. She just leaves the car by the terminal and pulls all of our luggage up to the check in desk.

"What're we doing with the car, you can't just leave it" I complain to Fiona as we rush through the security queue.

"Stop asking stupid questions" Fiona responds. I just roll my eyes; I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm stupid but I suppose I shouldn't argue just now, we are in a hurry.

On the plane, I'm seated in the middle with Jack to my left and Fiona in the aisle; she quickly orders a scotch and asks us if we would like any. I refuse, but Jack accepts and by the time we land the both of them are sloshed.

"Fucking hell, who's supposed to be collecting us?" I complain as I drag the pair of them to the baggage claim.

"Mordelia should be here soon" Fiona slurs, "If she left her brats at home that is, we all know Kathryn is a bit of a dawdler" she laughs and Jack joins in just as I notice Mordelia standing to the side with our cases already loaded onto a trolley. I run towards her and she envelopes me into a hug.

"Already drunk are they?" she whispers in my ear and I laugh and nod.

"Yeah, you know Fiona, showed up to our flat this morning nursing a hangover and the second the drinks trolley came around she needed another" I respond.

"I can hear you, you fucking numpties" Fiona says lightly and we all laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

PENELOPE

"Micah, are you through packing? I bloody well hope so, you've been at it for ages. You do know we're only going for two weeks" I call to my husband from our kitchen.

"Yes Penny, I finished this morning" he calls back at me. We're shouting through the house, and I reckon even the neighbours can hear us, nothing new really though. All we do is shout. Not in a bad way, me and Micah are doing brilliant but we've never been a very quiet family. The boys are the loudest, Kyle and Gabriel. All they do is shout, at me, at Micah, at Stevie. It drives me spare most days, but I've been so excited to get away from work and see Simon it hasn't bothered me much. I'm even excited to see Baz, the wanker.

I pour myself a cup of tea and walk up the stairs to Stevie's room. My mum was none too pleased that I named my daughter after Stevie Nicks, but I told her that as I birthed her she really didn't have a say in the matter. When I walk in, said daughter is sitting on her bed looking forlorn.

"Darling, what is the matter?" I ask her, giving her my cup of tea. She takes it gratefully and I'm rewarded with a small smile. My daughter looks like my husband, tall, dark brown hair and a small nose. She does have my skin though, a dark caramel colour and she wears glasses like I do.

"I don't know Mom, I'm so excited to see Charlie and everyone, I just feel like they're our only friends. I mean Gabe and Kyle have always had each other to hang out with, and they get along with Jack really well, I just don't really have any friends here" she says. I know what she means, I find most Americans pleasant enough I just have never really gotten close with anyone here.

"That's not true you have that one girl, bloody hell, what's her name, the one that was over a few weeks ago" I struggle to remember. The truth is, I know Stevie has never had many close friends, except for Charlie Snow-Grimm-Pitch. Mouthful, I know. She looks at me pointedly.

"Mom, can't we move to England? I want to go to Watford, like you did, like Gran did, like Simon and Baz and Charlie and Jack and anyone I've ever felt close to" she pleads. This is not the first time she's asked me this, Gabriel and Kyle have mentioned it too, but Stevie's been nagging me for years.

"I'll talk to dad" I sigh. Micah's not going to like this. He's happy in America, teaching Normals at Harvard and collaborating with my dad on magickal science journals.

"Really?" she asks her eyes shining. I roll my own and place my hand on her leg.

"Yes, really, now finish packing, we're leaving in an hour" I tell her and leave to go check on the boys. Both of our sons look like me, Gabriel even got my ginger hair, which is strange because I always thought it was a result of a poorly cast haircutting spell.

In their shared room, things are strewn everywhere. Various books and rubbish litter the ground and the clothes hamper is overflowing with nasty smelling laundry. My boys are both hurriedly tossing anything they can get their hands on into a large case.

"I see you lot didn't start early like Dad" I ask leaning against the door frame. Our eldest, Kyle grins sheepishly.

"Sorry Mom! Can't you help us?" he pleads. I roll my eyes again and point my ring towards the room.

"**_Make haste, not waste_**" I say, only relatively annoyed and the rubbish disappears. Gabriel looks at me pleadingly and I sigh, "**_Everything's sorted_**" the clothes in the hamper fold themselves neatly and fly into the case and the books on the floor soar into the shelves.

"Honestly, you could've done this yourselves" I say.

"Yeah but I can never get the clothes to fold right, and plus Gabe can't find his wand" Kyle justifies.

"It's under his bed" I comment and walk away towards my room where my husband is placing his laptop into the traveling bag,

"You know, it's not fair for you to reprimand them for not packing on time, you haven't even started" he grins at me

"Maybe, but I'm their mother and I can do whatever I please" I wink at him. He rolls his eyes and kisses me on the lips, placing his hands on my waste.

"And it's your fault their so disorganised" he argues further grinning.

"Yeah, how do you figure?" I ask him, my eyebrows raising.

"Well, they can't have inherited it from me, all I do is organise" he's started to kiss my neck at this point, and I'm flushed all over. When I start to undo his belt buckle he pulls away, smirking.

"Nuh uh, you have packing to do, my dear" he gets his luggage and drags it out of our room.

"Bloody tease" I shout at him and I can hear his laugh carrying down the stairs.

SIMON

Baz and I are lying on our bed, completely knackered. Or at least I am, he looks as if he could go for another few hours. He leans up to kiss me on the mouth and I sigh into him.

"Baz, I'm bloody tired, and starving, can't we get some food" I plead and he chuckles.

"Of course, I'll call in some takeaway yeah?" he grins at me and I smile. He's still awfully fit, even after all these years. His dark hair only has a few spots of grey and his face is practically line free. I'm pretty sure Charlie gets shit about it from her schoolmates, I overheard her talking on the phone the other day, she was going on and on saying, "Crowley Melinda, no my Dads are not that fit, please leave it" I dunno about me, but she's spot on about Baz. Wanker.

"Baz?" I ask him just as he's about to walk out of the room.

"Yes Snow, we can get curry"

"No, not that, well yes, I would like curry, but I have another question" he stops moving and looks at me heatedly.

"Yes?"

"Well, uhmm" I struggle and he rolls his eyes.

"Use your words Snow"

"DoyoustillthinkI'mfit?" I mumble out and he laughs out loud.

"Yes, you idiot, we just shagged for three hours straight" he ruffles his hair and shakes his head, "Merlin and Morgana, Simon, where do you come up with this shit?"

"I know you love me, but that doesn't necessarily mean you think I'm fit, I mean I think you're absolutely gorgeous but that's obvious and— "

"Snow, you're positively scrummy, now let me order some food so I can show just how much" he winks and I blush. I move to grab my phone from the bedside table to check my messages. There's one from Penny, one from Jack, and two from Charlotte. I open Penny's first, 'What d'you think about us moving back? Stevie's been on me about it again. I'm going to talk to Micah about it but I need you and Baz to back me up' I grin widely and type out a quick response, 'Bloody brilliant, we're on it'.

"Baz, Penny's talking about moving back" I shout and I hear him drop something in the sink. Probably a blood bag. He pokes his head in and smiles, his fangs popped.

"About time, I'll be tasked with convincing Micah, of course" he says, knowing that I fumble too much with words to ever be nonchalant about anything like he is.

"Yeah, she said both of us but I reckon that means mostly you" I respond and he starts putting his clothes on, "I have to go collect the food, I'll see you in a bit" would offer to get it, but as I can't drive, that wouldn't be helpful. I hear the front door close and I return my attention to my phone. I open Jack's message curiously, he usually can't be bothered to text, 'Dad, I need your advice, it's about girls' I'm shocked, really, he's never sought romantic advice from either of us; he's usually pretty good with girls, slick and charming like Baz. I type back quickly, 'sure mate, what d'you need'. Finally, I look at Charlotte's texts, 'Dad, Jack and Fi are going to kill me, they're already drinking' I guess that explains Jack asking for advice. I hope he still asks me, I'm really curious as to why he asked me and not Baz. It's no bloody secret I'm shit with talking. Her next message reads, 'Landed, safely, Aunt Mordy's driving us to Gran's' nice of Fiona and Jack to let me know they're alive. I text her back, 'Glad to hear, luv, and why don't you join them, it is holiday' I add a winky face to the message and send it. Charlie very rarely drinks, she's only fifteen, but I reckon it is holiday and she's with family, she should have fun, 'get hammered' as Gabriel and Kyle say.

Thinking about my kids and waiting for Baz to return, I start my packing, whipping out my wand and casting a clumsy, **_Everything's Sorted_**, on the wardrobe. My clothes come whipping out, all landing haphazardly in the case. Though my magic came back a couple years after the Mage's defeat, I've never been ace at household spells. I sigh and start folding them and placing them in properly. I almost through when I hear the door open and the smell of curry and butter chicken fills the flat.

"Honey, I'm home" Baz calls in a poor American accent and I rush out to eat, leaving my luggage almost packed.

STEVIE

Mom has got everyone's luggage packed tight in the car and the boys are already in the back. They're playing with hair colour spells, trying to change Gabriel's ginger into purple, or at least that's what I think they're doing because they keep trying Deep Purple lyrics. I roll my eyes and tell them that it's never going to work, the lyrics themselves have nothing to do with hair, and not enough people listen to Deep Purple anyway.

"Fuck off Stevie" Kyle responds and I sigh and climb into the car pointing my ring at Gabriel's head, "**_you're turning violet, violet_**" and his ginger hair turns a violent shade of purple.

"How do you _do_ that?" Kyle says with not a small amount of annoyance. Gabe's just running his fingers through his hair, trying to pull it in front of his face.

"Holy shit it worked, thanks Sis" he smiles at me.

"Mom, showed me" I smirk and they groan. My brothers think I've gotten more magic than they have, but me and my mom think it I'm probably just smarter than them in general.

"Why doesn't she ever show us anything cool, I mean we're older we should get more spells" Gabe complains and I roll my eyes. My dad caught the end of that conversation as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, but she actually listens to us" he says and both of my brothers start to complain.

"We listen, oh my god, mom is just biased towards her because she's a girl, she—"

"Kyle please don't attempt to talk about feminism you'll just dig yourself in a hole" Mom says as she climbs in the passenger's seat, effectively putting an end to what was sure to be a highly entertaining rant, "Alright, everything's ready, let's carry on shall we" she says brightly, turning back to look at all of us. She winks at me and my dad starts the car, and we're off to JFK.

PENELOPE

The flight seems like the best environment to broach the topic of moving to Micah. He's seated in the aisle and I'm crammed in the centre seat, which seems unfair because I definitely take up more room than he does, the bloody boobs alone take up more room than he does, the skinny arsehole.

"Micah?" I smile at him sweetly and he smirks and rolls his eyes.

"Yes, Penny" he says, not turning away from his book.

"I was talking to Stevie earlier, and she mentioned how excited she was for this trip" I start,

"Yes, we're all excited, I haven't seen Simon and Baz since last summer" he says disinterestedly.

"Well, she mentioned how she would really like to go to Watford next term and I was wondering—"

"She could do the exchange program I did, yes I think she would really enjoy that" he says and I grimace. This is going to be harder than I thought

"Well, actually I was thinking maybe we could all spend some time in England, we could stay in our flat, we never did sell it and the estate agent says it's still in good condition" My voice has taken a pleading tone and I know he can hear it. He looks at me and sighs.

"Yes, I guess it's inevitable at this point" he says dejectedly and my heart soars as I grin widely.

"Really?" I ask, my voice unnaturally high.

"Yes, really, and you can call off Baz, I know you've probably texted them"

"Oh, brilliant, Micah I love you, I could shag you right here" I beam at him and he chuckles and kisses my nose.

"Maybe, let's wait till we land" he winks and I grab his hand and lay my head on his shoulder. I can't wait to tell Simon.


	3. Chapter 3

SIMON

When I wake up the following morning Baz is wrapped around me. He has his head on my chest and his hand clasped onto my hip. I thread my fingers through his hair and his eyes blink open.

"Morning, love" I say softly and he smiles and closes his eyes again. We're leaving today and I know he's already ready to go. I have most of my things packed but I never finished my attempt yesterday afternoon. After lunch, I had found myself a little preoccupied and so I never got around to it.

"You have to finish packing, Snow" Baz mumbles into my stomach. I sigh and move to get up but he stops me by kissing a line down my side.

"Baz" I breathe and he chuckles lightly.

"You can finish in a bit" he says and continues his kissing and I feel my body erupt in gooseflesh. I can't take it anymore; I sit up and grasp the back of his head and pull his lips to mine. Crowley, it feels good. It always feels good. He always feels good. I tug on his slightly greying hair and he moans into my mouth, making me grasp his lower lip with my teeth, tugging slightly. I move from his mouth to his neck, pulling and sucking on the thin skin. His hands are in my curls and I move my hands to grasp his hips.

"Turn around" I tell him and he smirks before obliging me. Twenty minutes later and we're both lying on the bed, considerably more awake.

"Our flight leaves at noon Simon, better get packing" He says, a bit out of breath. He disentangles our limbs and strides out of our room, giving me a fantastic view of his ass. I sigh and get up.

BAZ

In the kitchen, I pour myself a cup of tea and turn on the telly. The news is ranting about the weather (rain for the rest of the week) when my phone rings. It's my father. I roll my eyes and answer it.

"Father" I greet him.

"Basil, I understand you and Snow are to arrive today?" his voice is bored and I can hear noises in the background, most likely Mordelia's sprogs.

"Yes, our flight lands at three, I believe" I respond, emulating his boredom, "and really father, his name is Simon" I add. I'm the only one that gets to call him Snow.

"Yes, yes, I'll be round to collect you and _Simon_ at three then"

"See you then" I say and hang up on him. I then go to our room and spell the rest of Simon's things packed. He looks at me gratefully and kisses my cheek. We get dressed and head to Heathrow on the underground. Quicker that way really, and I don't have to pay those absurd parking fees.

SIMON

I need Baz to quit looking at me like I'm something to eat. We're on the flight and he keeps glancing at me with heat in his eyes and I know he wanted me to meet him in the loo 10 minutes ago but I'm so tired. All I want him to do is stroke my hair as I take a kip on his shoulder. Is that too much to ask? I look at him and his heated gaze turns into a loving one. He strokes my cheek with one of his hands and sighs.

"Alright Simon, you win, I'm all yours" he says softly and pulls my head to his shoulder, wrapping his arm around me.

"I love you" I whisper after a few minutes as gently fall asleep.

My dream is strange and inconsistent. It keeps flicking gently through pictures of my life but slightly altered. There's one from the night I first kissed Baz, the fire blazing in the forest behind him, but his eyes aren't their normal colour; they're bright red. The next is Jack and Charlotte when they were still in cots, but Charlie's tawny hair is black and Jack's tiny body is littered with moles. The last one, and by far the most disconcerting is Penny on mine and Baz's wedding day, but it's not really her. She's tall and waif-like and her auburn hair is sleek and in an in elaborate up-do. She's even wearing a tight, satin dress, standing next to Baz and me in our suits, with and strange grin plastered to her face.

I wake up jerkily and Baz looks down at me frowning. His eyes are his normal glassy blue. Thank, Merlin.

"Snow?" he squints his eyes and runs his hand through my curls.

"Sorry, bad dream" I shrug and sit up, tearing away from his grasp.

"Care to elaborate?" he raises an eyebrow at me.  
"Penny was like supermodel fit; not that she's not fit and your eyes were red and Jack had moles, and I—"

"Wait what?" he's shaking his head, like he's trying to clear thoughts out.  
"It was just a weird dream, it's nothing, honest" I say running my hands through my hair.

"Alright" he's still frowning, "we're landing soon" I ignore him and try to banish the dream from my head. I wish I could cast a spell to make it go away like **_fuck off_** or something but I reckon that'll just make things worse.

JACK

Gran's summer house is gorgeous; it's four stories and immaculately clean, like their house back at home, but unlike Hampshire it's full of light and very modern. The walls are all white and the furniture is delicate shades of blue and brown. There's floor to ceiling windows in every room that show the brilliant French countryside and everyone's always infected with that contended indifference that summer encourages. I adore it, but I think Charlie loves it even more. She flourishes here, especially when Stevie and Aunt Penny are with us. The three of them are thick as thieves, always basking in the sun and casting fun little spells for Aunt Mordy's brats. Stevie is exceptionally good with song lyrics and she and Penny created **_with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair _**from a Zeppelin song that makes little tulips sprout from Kathryn and Julie's plaits. I'm surprised enough people still listen to Zeppelin for it to work, but I reckon there are loads of people like Aunt Fi that keep it going.

It's because of my sister's love for this place that I'm surprised to see her sulking so much. I bet it's because Stevie hasn't gotten here yet. They're supposed to arrive tomorrow. I can see her from my open window pacing about the lawn waving her wand at random bits of leaves and twigs, making them float around a bit. Aunt Mordelia is in a lawn chair sunning herself on the porch nearby.

"Waste of magic" I yell at her and she starts, clearly surprised.

"Bugger off" she calls back and turns back to her daydreaming. I leave my sister be and change into a nice pair of trousers and a plain white undershirt. I can keep it casual when I need to; I am on holiday after all. I then go down to the kitchen where Gran is whipping up dinner. She's got on a jade green sundress and her greying hair is in a loose plait down her back. From the smell, I think she's making onion soup and my mouth waters.

"Salut" I call and she grins and turns to kiss my cheek.

"Salut, darling, ça vas?"

"Ça vas" I shrug and dip my finger in the soup, she swats my hand away and raises her eyebrows.

"Well, since you insist on sampling, how is it?"

"It's very good, as you well know, where's Grandad?" I sit at the kitchen table and cross my legs.

"He just left to collect your parents"

"And Fi?"

"In her room, hiding from the sun; you'd think she was the vampire" she chuckles adding a pinch of pepper to the soup, "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering" I fiddle with the hem of my shirt and she leaves the pot simmering on the stove and sits next to me.

"What's on your mind Jack? You look troubled"

"Nothing Gran, I just drunk texted Dad about girl troubles on the flight over" I laugh cynically to myself.

"Really?" she looks shocked, "you've always been good with girls, and no offense to Simon, but he's not exactly an expert on women" she laughs.

"Believe me, I'm aware, and I am good with girls, but she's not just any old bird"

"Ah, I see" she says softly, "Just be yourself mon petit chou, and she will come around" she smiles and her soft face radiates with love.

"Merci, Gran" I say, my face blushing a bit.

"De rien" she waves her hand, while she stands up and returns to the stove, "you fancy a scotch?" she calls over her shoulder.

"Sure" I get up and pick up the crystal decanter from the minibar.

"Pour me one as well, and you should bring one to Fiona while you're at it" she winks, "maybe you can lure her from her dungeon"

"Fat chance" I laugh as I walk down the bright corridor to the one room in the house with a black door. I knock politely before walking in to see Fiona reading a Normal novel, sitting on her unmade bed. There's clothes and rubbish strewn everywhere but my aunt looks quite content.

"Thank you, Jack, was about to shout at Daphne for one myself" she says as I hand her the drink.

"She's not your housekeeper" I say lightly and join her.

"I know"

"Fancy joining Mordy and Charlie on the lawn?" I ask

"Where are the brats?" she raises an eyebrow, she looks loads like Dad when she does that.

"In their rooms, Mordy caught Julie with chewing gum in her hair and she insisted it was Kathryn's fault"

"That explains the shouting then" she says and gets up, "Yeah alright, let's get everyone sloshed before Malcom comes back with Baz and Simon" she grins, her eyes twinkling. I roll my own and start towards the door.

BAZ

The drive from the airport is tense put not overly so; Simon's being uncharacteristically quiet, forcing me to strike up conversation with my father, who only ever wants to talk about the Coven. When we finally pull up the long entryway, I'm relieved and so is Simon. He's missed the children, so have I honestly, but the two days with just us was bloody brilliant and much needed. I can see Mordelia, Fiona, Daphne, Charlotte, and Jack sitting on lawn chairs on the terrace all nursing what looks to be scotch making me grin and look at Simon.

"Time to get drunk, I reckon" he says and both me and Father laugh.

"I reckon so" I say as I get out of the car and carry our cases into the house.

"Dad! Daddy!" Charlie screeches and launches herself at me and Simon, pulling us both into a great hug when we walk out to join them.

"Hello, Charlie, I see France is already treating you well" I say and she grins.

"I suppose I am a bit sozzled but that is entirely Jack's fault" she slurs slightly and plops down next to her brother.

"Hey! I deserve some credit" Fiona interjects as Simon and make the rest of our greetings. Simon wraps an arm around my waist when we sit down and I feel his head resting on my shoulder. I turn and kiss his cheek and I feel his face flush under my lips.

"Get me a drink, love?" I whisper in his ear and he nods and retreats to the kitchen.

"Daddy, we were just thinking about playing a drinking game" Jack says, grinning from ear to ear, "any suggestions?"

"Well, spin the bottle is out obviously" I say cheekily, "what about Spell the Song?"

"Oh, bloody hell, I'm rubbish at Spell the Song" Simon says as he strides back out, holding a bottle of scotch and two glasses.

"Too bad Dad, because I'm brilliant at it" Charlie says, making us all laugh.

"Fine, does anyone not know the rules?" Jack says and Daphne raises her hand.

"Alright, the Picker selects an artist and the rest of the players have to try and create a spell from one of their lyrics and cast it on the Picker, the player whose spell works best gets to be the next Picker and the losers all have to drink"

"Alright, who's the first Picker?" Daphne asks

"Me" Charlie says and pretends to think about what song she wants, "Okay, I really don't care which song but it has to be Fleetwood Mac" she grins and we all groan, this could go tits up quite quickly. Stevie Knicks is a very powerful magician and most of her lyrics already have loads of magic in them.

"Fiona, you first" I say and she grins, her dark eyebrows waggling, she whips out her wand and points it at Charlie.

"Please don't hurt her Fi" Simon says slightly concerned.

"As if I would" she rolls her eyes and re-aims her wand, "**_The_** **_Songbird keeps singing like never before_**" Charlie hiccups a bit and then her voice is replaced by the sound of singing birds. My daughter looks like she's trying to giggle but keeps getting interrupted by the musical notes of chirping. We all laugh and Fi stands up and bows to the crowd before slashing her wand to cancel the spell.

"Thank you very much, I don't think the rest of you even have to go" she says haughtily before taking a big swig of her drink and sits down.

Turns out, Fi was right, hers was the only one the worked at all, which hacks me off a bit.

"Has to be a Cure song" Fiona says, smirking at me. She knows I'm the only one who knows enough New Wave to even cast a working spell. Actually, Simon might know enough know, I caught him listening to Depeche Mode a week ago while he was baking. I look over at him and he's grinning.

"Simon, you first" Daphne says gently. My husband whips out his wand and points it at my nefarious aunt, "**_Just try to see in the dark_**" he says a barely a whisper. Fiona's eyes immediately change colour from her normal black to a day-glow orange and become cat-like in shape.

"Bloody hell, Simon it worked, I can see everything" she says as she looks around the lawn and into the bordering trees. I laugh more out of surprise than anything.

"I've been listening to more 80's stuff" he admits a little smugly.

"That's a right useful spell Dad, teach it to us?" Jack says, running his hands through his inky hair and smiling.

"Yeah sure, in the morning though" he jabs his wand at Fiona to cancel his spell and stands up.

"I'm knackered, I'm going to turn in, love you all" he says. The children say their good nights and I pull him down to kiss him.

"I'll be up in a bit" I say and he ruffles my hair making me frown.

"Night, all" are his parting words as he retreats into the house.

"What's up his arse" Fiona chuckles.

"Ha bloody ha, he just had a bad flight, weird dreams or something" I respond.

"Alright who's next?" Daphne asks and we continue the game until the lot of us are pissed.


	4. Chapter 4

BAZ

Simon's curls cloud my vison as I wake up the following morning. He's clutching me in his sleep, his legs wrapped around my own and his head nuzzling my neck. It fills me with both concern and content. I love that he's mine and that I get to wake up to him every day of my life, but I'm worried too. Usually I'm the one smothering him in his sleep; his dreams must have really bothered him. I carefully kiss his forehead and run my hands down his bare hips. When he starts to stir I look at him, eyebrows raised.

"Alright?" I whisper, continuing my ministrations, making him curl tighter around me.

"Yeah, are you?" he asks and I know he's referring to how late and how drunk I came in last night. I practically attacked him before promptly falling asleep as soon I as I got him out of his trousers.

"I could use an Advil and a cuppa" I wink at him and he smirks.

"Of blood or tea?" he kisses my neck lightly, making me groan.

"Both, and you're looking positively scrummy in more way than one" I tease, nipping his shoulder. He meets my eyes and I almost drown in the complete love and trust I see in them, "I need to feed, I'll meet you at breakfast" I say to him before carefully slipping away from his embrace.

"Baz?" he calls as I'm almost out the door, I look back at him, "can I come?" he asks softly.

"Sure" I smile.

The French countryside has various choices of game for me to choose from, but I settle on a few rabbits I find just inside the treeline for Simon's sake. He stays close to me while I feed, looking out into the forest with a serene expression.

"Simon" I call to him after I've finished, "what's bothering you?" I sit down next to him in the grass and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Those dreams made me feel like something's about to happen" he admits, looking down at his hands, "Something bad"

"They sounded strange, but I've never known you to be clairvoyant, love" I reach over and take his hand, bringing it up to my mouth to kiss.

"I know, I'm just…worried" he places his head on my shoulder.

"Even if something were to happen, we will get through it" I tell him confidently, "it's not the humdrum again if that's what you're worried about" I whisper after a beat into his neck and he nods slightly.

"I know" he says, squeezing my hand, "I'm glad the children came early, I really missed you" his face flushes a bit making me smirk. It's absolutely ridiculous that he can still be embarrassed about saying these romantic things to me but I love it. He's so alive all of the time; his body is constantly reacting to its surroundings with blushes and gooseflesh and sweat and now he lets me share it. He allows me to be alive with him and I can never thank him enough for it.

"I missed you too" I respond, "so much" I pull him into my arms completely, making him laugh in surprise. At this point he's practically on top of me and so I lie down in the grass, pulling him with me. I reach up with my mouth and kiss him lightly.

"Crowely Baz, I never thought I could love someone like this" he whispers after breaking it and I know what he means. Every day I wake up more in love with him than the day before. When he interacts with the kids or even when he pisses me off, I feel my heart swell even greater for him. My entire being is tied to him in a way that I can't understand. I don't know if it is like this for everyone but I'm glad it's like this for us.

"Me neither" I tell him, a broad grin plastered onto my face.

PENNY

After finally getting all of our luggage in the car at the airport we were off to Daphne and Malcom's summer home. Micah rented a car because he didn't want to inconvenience anyone with having to collect us. Stevie's sat between her brothers in the back, both of which have decided that the most productive way to pass the time during the drive is to pester her. Kyle is currently attempting to quiz her knowledge on state capitols (she's memorised them all) while Gabe is asking her about the mechanics of the purple hair spell she had casted on him before we left. She's systematically ignoring them both.

"Boys, leave your sister alone" I call to them, rolling my eyes, "We're almost there"

Micah is looking at me with warmth in his eyes, paying little attention to the road ahead.

"I don't want to crash" I warn, smirking. He rolls his eyes and focuses his stare back on the asphalt. Meanwhile, I take in the French countryside around us. It's almost twelve and the sun is beating on the grassy fields; illuminating patches of purple wildflowers on either side of the car. _It's quite gorgeous here_, I think to myself, I had almost forgotten it's charm. Maybe it's one of those feelings that you get only when you are physically in a place, maybe it's one of those uniquely French things. I'm not really sure. Either way, it's a magical sort of place.

When we pull into the carport I immediately notice Jack sitting out on his bedroom windowsill smoking a cigarette. Gabriel and Kyle notice him as well.

"Those things are going to kill you, dude" Kyle calls up to him, grinning. Jack gives him the bird.

"I'll still live longer than you, mate" He responds, "haven't got all that American ideology crushing my soul" he smiles then and disappears from our view. Micah starts pulling the cases from the boot and I scramble to help him. The children run inside without a second thought.

"Fat lot of good they are" I comment, making my husband laugh.

KYLE

It's good to be back in France. This place is stock full of gorgeous views and hot French girls in pretty pastel dresses that ride around on bicycles. I can't complain. Of course, seeing Jack and his family is good too; they're those people that you're not related to but when you talk about them you refer to them as cousins. We've been here for ten minutes and Stevie is already locked in Charlie's room filling her in on the latest American gossip (that's what Charlie calls it) Gabe, Jack, and I are doing the same thing but with less giggles.

"So, what have you blokes been up to?" Jack says sitting on his bed with another cigarette balancing between two fingers. What a douche.

"Oh, nothing really, school mostly, Gabe's got a girlfriend" I smirk and punch my brother on the arm, good-naturedly.

"Shut the fuck up man, I wouldn't call her a girlfriend" Gabe smiles suggestively making Jack and I laugh.

"Oh yeah? What's the girl's name? something absurdly American I'm sure…hmm Tiffany? Kelsi? Oh no I've got it, Mandy"

"Fuck off but yeah her name's Kaylee, so you were close" Gabe laughs.

"I fucking knew it, that's brilliant" Jack laughs, "but it's nothing serious?" he says.

"Nah, I don't know, maybe in a couple weeks it will be, what about you?"

"Well, here is where the plot thickens lads" Jack grins.

"The great Jack Snow-Grimm-Pitch has a girlfriend?" I say in disbelief.

"Not quite, but it is certainly heading that way" he says, smiling, "I'll not divulge any more details yet, but stay tuned" he says, looking pleased with himself.

"Cool man, that's great, now what is your grandma making because it smells awesome and I'm starving" I stand up and we make our way to the kitchen.

STEVIE

Charlie's grandmother is literally the most angelic person on the planet. She's serving up what she says is coq au vin and broccoli but you could've told me it was solid gold and I would have believed it. She's also wearing a calf-length blue sundress and has her grey-tinted hair braided down her back. If I'm looking this good at her age then I'll have lived a good-life.

"Thanks Daphne" I smile at her after my first bite, "this is so good"

"It's nothing darling, I'm glad you like it" she responds and moves back to sit at the table next to Charlie's grandpa, who looks uncharacteristically happy. Simon and Baz are next each other there, chatting with Mom and Dad and Fiona excitedly while Charlie, the boys and I are eating on the couch in the living room, everyone's got a strong drink in front of them and there's an air of familiarity in the room that becomes apparent after you finally see loved ones after a long time of separation.

"I've missed you lot so much" Charlie says soppily, shoving more chicken into her mouth, her gold curls swirling around her face.

"Bloody hell, here she goes" Jack laughs and puts an arm around his sister, shaking her shoulders lightly.

"Shove off, like you haven't missed them too" She sticks her tongue out at him.

"Didn't say that, dear sister, quite the contrary, I just don't turn into a sap at my first sip of scotch"

"Here he goes" my brothers say in unison.

"I'm Jack, I'm a posh wanker and I can out drink all of you" Kyle imitates in as poor rendition of his London accent.

"Couldn't have phrased it better myself" Jack says without missing a beat.

"Alright, that's enough pretention for the next hour at least" I say and Jack grins at me.

"Stevie, the pretention has just started" Charlie says, taking another long sip of her drink. The sound of a record player starting up interrupts my next comment, Fiona and Baz have put on an old Elton John album and the first notes of Crocodile Rock fill the room.

"Let's dance!" Gabe calls and I jump up grabbing Charlie's hand.

Even Dad has joined in, he's got Mom's waist and they're clumsily twirling around. Gabe and Kyle are being ridiculous with Simon, screaming the lyrics at each other. Charlie and I are dancing with Fiona and Daphne while Baz, Jack, and Malcom are in the corner sipping their drinks and observing. _This is family_, I think to myself, _this is where I belong_.


End file.
